Read Lavonne’s story in the latest news from United Way Winnipeg.
Lavonne is quiet. She might not say much at first. But don’t let that fool you—she’s a funny, compassionate young woman whose strong voice is helping to reduce the stigma in her community around youth mental health.
“There’s a lot of Black girls who are like me or have…come from the background that I have. So I’ve seen and talked to some girls, and they ask me questions and stuff,” Lavonne says.
“I tell them it’s going to be okay.”
Lavonne and her two brothers grew up in the city. All three kids loved basketball—Lavonne with a competitive streak—and they logged countless hours shooting hoops at the YMCA-YWCA.
But in her teens, Lavonne began to struggle, and her light began to dim.
“I became depressed and very anxious about things. I wasn’t hanging out with my friends and stuff. I wasn’t talking to them. I was eating like fast food and not eating healthy,” Lavonne recalled. “There was sadness, anger and all that. And then (feeling) lost a little.
“My mom, she noticed, and she just didn’t know what to do.”
Read the full article https://unitedwaywinnipeg.ca/news-and-stories/lavonne
